I've entered a writing contest that I found in an email I received from Guide to Literary Agents editor, Chuck Sambuchino. This is only the 3rd contest I've ever entered, and I get to submit the first 150-200 words (oops, I originally had pages here...that would have been a lot of reading for these judges) of my completed novel. Now this is exciting to me for several reasons:
1 - The agent judge, Lauren Ruth (BookEnds, Inc) will be reading my log line and half of the first page of my novel (that's so much better than not reading any of it, right?)
2 - She's looking for women’s fiction (mine is) that is character-driven (mine is) and has a strong social or emotional message (wheee...mine does)
3 - The winner is notified in 3 weeks...not 2 months...but 3 weeks. Yay!!
4 - There is not 1...but 3...winners! So that means the chances of winning are 3-in-....however many send theirs in.
5 - The winners (did I mention 3?!) will receive a critique of the first 10 pages of their work by the agent judge, Lauren Ruth, and a year's subscription to Writers Market.com...an awesome web site that should be read by anyone that wants to find out anything and everything about writing and how to get published...plus how to find an agent and lists of agents for all genres. Check out this link to see how to join this very informational web site. http://www.writersmarket.com/
Now, I'm no spring chicken, I've been around the block a few times, (oops, sorry for the cliches, tee hee) and have read my share of rejection letters. So I'm well aware of the slim chance that my entry will be picked as a winner. But isn't that what we're up against every time we send out a query or a synopsis?
We're like the kids on the playground that are waiting to be chosen to be on a kick-ball team...pick me, pick me, we shout as we jump up and down, wanting to be sure the ones doing the picking can see us. We think that maybe if we shout a little louder or jump little higher then maybe, just maybe, this time they'll pick us first. But when all is said and done, we know deep down that only the ones with the real talent will be chosen first. Only the ones that can guarantee the team a win will be first out of the crowd...and they don't even have to jump or shout. They just have to be good at what they do.
So check out this link to the contest and see if your writing falls into one of the categories she's looking for. Who knows...this could be your lucky day. (http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/ninth-free-dear-lucky-agent-contest?et_mid=553181&rid=2958050)
The contest is only open until the end of Monday, May 14th, so you have to hurry.
Play Dead by Harlan Coben
I thought I had read every book written by this author (another one of my favs) until I came across a reprint of this one. Keeping in mind that this book was first released in 1990, I wasn't expecting the quality of writing that I'm used to with this author. But Harlan Coben surprised me soooo much.
A condensed version of the inside cover - While honeymooning in Australia, the young husband, a Celtics superstar, goes for a swim and never returns. His grieving widow, a beautiful model, begins a search for the truth that will draw her into lies and deceptions that stretch back 30 years.
Reading this book was like riding a roller coaster, except a roller coaster has a big hill at the beginning and smaller ones throughout the ride. This story took me up that big hill, left me breathless coming down, and then, to my surprise, there are more big hills to ride up and hold my breath coming down. But the last big hill was the best...it was the highest, the fastest and had a big surprise waiting for me at the top. Highly recommended!
Quotes of the Day:
One quality all successful people have is persistence ~ Dr. Joyce Brothers
Doing what you love is the cornerstone ~ Dr. Wayne Dyer
Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life. ~ Mark Twain
No comments:
Post a Comment